She is the dog! The bird represents her love. When a dog brings a dead bird to their owner, they see it as a gift or something the owner would be proud of/happy about, but of course the owner is likely to be upset, angry, or even disgusted by it. It’s a metaphor for loving someone more than they love you, someone not wanting your love. When she says “you know the killer doesn’t understand” she means the dog and herself as the killer. The dog doesn’t understand the bird isn’t a gift, like she doesn’t understand they don’t love her back. Also might be a callback to the song Killer from her debut album
bumping this !! also the lyric before, "if i could give you the moon, i would give you the moon" not only means giving someone *everything*, but also herself - since "phoebe" quite literally means moon. she's insane actually
oh that's pretty interesting! I've been delaying my search for the meaning of this one metaphor of phoebe's, so up until now I had only thought of it as him being the dog, and his love for her would be equivalent to his excitement when he sees a bird, like an uncontrollable animal instinct - but he would end up killing her, so it is in fact tragic
YES. and also adding the fact that pheobe’s name is a definition for a “moon” goddess, and for a type of bird. so she would give herself if she could and she would kill herself (since she is also the dog and the bird) just to love someone. and then ofc her not caring abt killing herself is what she doesn’t understand 😭😭😭
This is the comment I started scrolling to find, so good job everyone for getting it top:) I feel I have to add though that this is an emotional maturity that I'm yet to have seen Taylor show?!
I really love how Phoebe's lyrics go from being so confusing to feeling like a punch in the gut when you wrap your head around them. This is a really special album
Definitely! There's almost never a moment like that with Taylor for me, she's wonderfully straightforward and predictable most of the time, if not entirely surface level, but that might just be because I know her (or at least her lore) very well.
my favourite thing about Phoebe’s writing is that it is so specific. almost too specific like we will never know the exact context behind each song but it’s written in such a way we can relate to it and it basically forces us to project our own meanings onto each song and i adore that.
SOOOO TRUE! there was a lot of lyrics that did seem veryyy specific to an experience she's had, rather than a universal experience, which I think is sooo different and cool
graceland too has a lot of context! it's a wish, as well as a love song written about julien baker (who actually sings in the last chorus!) she has been in and out of rehab, dealing with her addictions, struggles with faith and general mental health problems. if you know phoebe, you will know that she absolutely adores julien and would do anything for her. the song was specifically written for her in a time where she had relapsed and phoebe wished she could get better (throwback to the line about elvis "wonder if he believed songs could come true") lucy dacus and julien baker are the ones who sing in the chorus and actually have written related songs to this one. lucy with her "please stay", which is about her wishing for julien to stay alive. julien responds to both of them with the song "favor"
@@chatsandreacts Driving out into the sun Let the ultraviolet cover me up Went looking for a creation myth Ended up with a pair of cracked lips Windows down, scream along To some America First rap, country song A slaughterhouse, an outlet mall Windows down, heater on Big bolts of lightning hanging low Over the coast, everyone's convinced It's a government drone or an alien spaceship Either way, we're not alone I'll find a new place to be from A haunted house with a picket fence To float around and ghost my friends No, I'm not afraid to disappear The billboard said, "The end is near" I turned around, there was nothing there Yeah, I guess the end is here Wished you guys had something to said about this part 😔
Some fun facts; moon song is (most probably) about Connor Oberst (the guy who literally sings with her on halloween a few songs before), and ICU is about her ex who she is still good friends with, is her drummer, and actually plays drums on that song (hence why when she says 'I can't even get you to play the drums' the drums stop - bc the person shes adressing is literally playing the drums up until that point lol). Theres so much context needed to full fathom her music I think thats why she appeals so much to swifties,,, theres so much LORE.
ALSO OMD I FORGOT,, Graceland too is highly thought to be about her good friend Julien baker - another phenomenal singer/songwriter who she actually released a project with in the years leading up to this album release (Boygenius). Both Julien and lucy Dacus ( who's also in boygenius) then come in with harmonies towards the end of the song, solidifying that the moments shes talking about at that point were probably a shared experience between the three bandmates. on top of this she released an entire album with the previously mentioned Connor Oberst inbetween her first and second album, so him also being featured along with her boygenius bandmates is very much a 'hey its been a while, heres a musical summary of what I've been up to'. The fact that all these musicians are people she's actively talked about admiring also fits very well into the theme of the 'punisher' as well!!
I know Emily mentioned this a few times that she wished Phoebe’s voice was more ahead of the production so she could be heard more clearly, and I think Strangers in the Alps (Phoebe’s debut album) would definitely be more your vibe with that.
In Chinese satellite the line ‘you were screaming at the evangelicals’ refers to a fight conor oberst (backing vocals on halloween) had with some religious people protesting against the lgbt community with offensive signs. The line ‘i would stand on the corner embarrassed with a picket sign, if it meant i would see you when i die’ refers to her being willing to do anything, even join in on activities that harm her own community just to see the person she loves again. that song physically hurts me it’s so good.
also specifically refers back to her desire for belief in something because of the rewards it promises; she's saying that if she can believe in a heaven, she would be the most devout christian possible, that she would be the MOST faithful christian (even going to the point of protesting outside an abortion clinic) for a chance at getting into heaven. she wants desperately to believe, to have faith in something, and if she had any evidence, she would be the first one with a picket sign. goes back to her searching for god at the start of the song and then waiting for aliens at the end. it's another lyric in reference to a higher power, her deep hope that she's not alone.
fun fact: Phoebe literally wrote Saviour Complex in her sleep. She’s told the story of the melody coming to her in a dream and when she woke up frantically trying to get it down so she didn’t forget it.
fun fact, Phoebe said that Graceland too is Betty (by Taylor) for people who hate themselves lol btw, I think you guys would absolutely adore five seconds flat by Lizzy McAlpine
Fun fact about DVD Menu and I Know The End. The album starts off with the melody of I Know The End being played by the strings in DVD Menu, so from the very beginning of the album you know the end :)
i’ve always loved in the end of punisher when she says “wouldn’t know where to start, wouldn’t know when to stop” and the music almost immediately stops even though you expect it to keep going, hence not knowing when to stop
i find it weird that nobody reacts to the line “i’m gonna kill you, if you don’t beat me to it” in kyoto. i think that line speaks a lot to the relationship between her and her dad, as though her father has guilt tripped her with suicide before and she’s become numb to it or as though she’s fine with him dying. it’s a really cutting line that gives me goosebumps everytime i hear it, it’s really emotional and disturbing to me
also a fun little detail is that the album itself works on a loop. if you listen to dvd menu, it has the same melody as i know the end. the first song is kind of like a spoiler of the last song. also, i love how the album starts with a dvd menu and ends with a song that is so visual and cinematic. it’s like punisher is not only an album but a movie, and the movie is the human experience itself.
I NOTICED THAT!! i glanced through the album after listening to i know the end, being the only song i’m familiar with but i never really listened to dvd menu before this video. i totally noticed it was the same and i was about to look it up until i saw your comment
one of my fave tidbits on this album is that ICU is about her relationship with her drummer (marshall, king) and how when she says “now I can’t even get you to play the drums” the drums stop AGGGH just sooooo good
I love that Emily becomes an instant fan of Savior Complex, because the same thing happened to me. I was listening to the album, really enjoying it, and suddenly this song started and I was shocked. Just a few notes and it was already my favorite on the record. Loved this video, as always. PS: there's a theory that says that "Phoebe" means moon (because In classical mythology, Phoebe is the by-name of Artemis, goddess of the moon and of hunting) , so when she is saying "I would give you the moon" she means she would give him herself. She's amazing and her songs have infinite layers, I hope you guys do another Phoebe video!
Bonny saying "I have a request" and then needing to go back to the start of Chinese Satellite's second verse in order to FATHOM the sounds is so so valid!
In the song ‘moon song’ her lyric “if I could give you the moon, I would give you the moon” relates to the fact that the name phoebe means moon, she is saying she would give all of herself to her lover, she would do anything for them. It also implies that she would do anything for them but she can’t because it’s never enough.
Phoebe is an artist that you have to fathom over time, she is a SONG-WRIIIII-TERRRRRR. I am serious, like a visionary. It grows so hard on you. I Know The End is about the end of the world, Phoebe is driving out into the apocalypse and embracing it. It makes me cry so much. Moon Song is described like unrequited love. She's in love with Conor Oberst and he's not quite able to give her what she wants. She is accepting anything she can get. He was also married at the time of their relationship (I think he was separated from his wife). He also had a brain tumor so she mentions he's sick, married and might be dying. Savior Complex is also about him, and his alcoholism. ICU is about her drummer ex who she is still very close with and he drums in her band and writes songs with her still! Love her so much, and I think you guys may even like her debut album Stranger In The Alps even more than Punisher. Much more acoustic.
Phoebe's music is absolutely gorgeous... And if you guys decide to listen to Stranger in the Alps next (her debut album) here's a little warning: "Funeral" is a kick in the guts. I'm not joking, that song *hurts*. It was the first song from Phoebe that I ever heard and it left an impression in me. The lyrics are haunting, the melody is sad... I love it, but it really, really hurts. Thanks for the video!
i also feel for the "i dont forgive you lyrics" that she might not forgive her dad but she wants HIM to keep trying, like i wont forgive you but dont stop calling me and my brother, dont give up on us, keep trying to be a dad
Older phoebe stuff definitely has the stripped back quality you were talking about wanting! Loved this reaction, so happy you loved this album, and I hope to see y’all react to more from her!!!! P.S.: if y’all ever react to stranger in the alps I would love to see you react to waiting room too! It’s not on an album but it’s a beautiful song she wrote at 16!
obsessed with the moment in ICU when she says "now I can't even get you to play the drums" and then the drums drop out of the mix completely for a moment 🤌 there's actually a similar moment on "scott street" from her first album where she mentions drums and then they come into the song as well! just thought it was an interesting parallel that you two might enjoy. looooove that you're finally reacting to phoebe!! ❤
Phoebe is my fav artist of all time. I still remember the first time hearing her music and just sobbing because up until that point I'd never had an artist understand my heart and soul so completely. She is criminally underrated and is one of the best lyricists of our time. LOVED seeing you guys react to this ❤️❤️❤️
If i remember correctly, i think Saviour Complex always made Sadie Sink cry, so they used it in the All Too Well Short Film every time she had to cry in a scene.
There is an LP of acoustic covers from this album. It changes the vibes of several songs. Punisher and Chinese satellite break my heart every time. And her voice clarity is even more soul destroying.
please do stranger in the alps !!!!!!! im obsessed with this so much! and yes, this is why i love phoebe’s music so much. you can interpret her lyrics in so many different ways and somehow find a way to relate to it. also every time i listen to her music, i find a new way to interpret the lyrics that i might not have thought about before.
Punisher is literally my healing album. Especially the track Graceland Too. Everytime I feel anxious, I would just automatically turn to this album and feel ok.
1:24:48 Graceland Too is allegedly about an MDMA trip with Julien Baker, a friend of Phoebe and also bandmate in boygenius (which i also recomend a reaction) because of the references to where she lives, her struggle with mental health and stuff like that.
i’m still on the intro of the video but i’m just so excited that you’re reacting to punisher! this album means so so so much to me it makes me really happy when i get to see people experience it for the first time 💗 i hope you love it
the girl being talked about in Graceland Too is one of Phoebe’s best friends, Julien Baker. Phoebe has a great relationship with Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus, who both can be heard doing vocals on the song. They have an album/ep together called boygenius that i think you would love:)
today i heard the new SZA album and fell in love with the song Ghost in the Machine feat Phoebe Bridges. I was planning on diving in to her discography and now i have the pleasure to do it with you guys! So fuuun thanks gilrs
I wonder if they're going to react to Preacher's Daughter by Ethel Cain. It's got morbid topics but I'd love to see Bonnie and Emily analyze the lyrics. it's one of my favorite albums of the year. Love you guys! I'm so glad you've thoroughly enjoyed Punisher✨🌟
The “three clicks and I’m home” lyric in I Know The End is a reference to Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz which also pairs with the “I’m not gonna go down with my hometown in a tornado” lyric later on in the song. I have loved this album for months but hadn’t fathomed a lot of the lyrics so I LOVED you guys taking the time to read the lyrics and figuring them out ♥️
For me, the song Savior Complex is about out-manipulating a manipulator. At the beginning, it's "show me yours and I'll show you mine." In the middle, she realizes they're a vampire. That line in the second verse taken as a whole might say, "You want blood, and I promised I'm a bad liar with a savior complex..." But maybe she's not a bad liar after all. As in, she's not as naive as she originally let on. The second chorus is still, "show me yours and I'll show you mine." But by the end, it's just, "show me yours."
I think « 3 clicks and I’m home » is a reference to The wizard of Oz and the ruby slippers, especially later she says « there’s no place like my room » which is similar to « there’s no place like home » And then the tornado line later.
I'm so excited for this!!!! Phoebe is one of my openers and I know nothing she has made, so I'm so excited to discover her with you so I can scream the lyrics by May 19th!!!!
Yes you have to listen to I know the end because I think she’ll play it and she has a tradition when anytime she plays it the crowd just screams at top volume at the end
Gracie Abrams is my opener and thanks to Bonny and Emily - I became obsessed with her all because of their video!!! I love that they force me to leave my Taylor bubble 🤣 of course there are other artists I listen to and have loved for a long time but I don’t do much discovering new artists these days. So thanks to these girls I SCREAMED when I saw Gracie was my opener, I hope she plays rockland and I miss you, I’m sorry !!!
“Moon song” is about Connor Oberst, the lead singer from Bright Eyes and the man who sings with her on Halloween. They made lots of music together from 2015-2018ish under the band name “Better Oblivion Community Center” and also dated. He was married when he was dating her but also diagnosed with a brain illness , and was also know to struggle with drinking. In his songs, he often references a “yellow bird” (especially on his most famous album - I’m wide awake and it’s morning) and this is why phoebe sings “little bird” and recently live has changed the lyric to yellow bird. There’s so much depth to this song I LOVE IT and don’t get me started
I find that a Garden Song and I Know the End share some instrumental qualities, and that just ties to whole album together for me. Punisher is an encrypted masterpiece, for those who care to listen.
I wish I could like this a million times, I've been waiting for this for so long!!! I am so obsessed with Phoebes music. You could just get lost in the production and vibe of the songs, like Bonny said in the beginning but there's also sooo much meaning behind the lyrics that make the songs hit even harder once you have fathomed them. I love how most of her lyrics are super specific and personal to her (and sometimes so mundane like the 'running around in circles' being about jogging) but the way she phrases things sounds soo profound and you can interpret so much into them. she's a genius imo!!! I hope you react to her first album as well!
I love to see new people finding Phoebe's music and loving it this much lol. Btw I would love to see you guys react to her earlier album Stranger in the Alps too!
thank you for this! i have not been able to properly fathom phoebe's songs on my own and knew i could count on you both for helping me begin to fathom. now i have a new album to listen to that i can half understand on a deeper lyrical level ❤💙🖤
ICU is about her drummer and ex, Marshall Vore, hence the line "now i can't even get you to play the drums" and Graceland Too is about her friend and Boygenius bandmate Julien Baker, who also does backing vocals on the song with their other bandmate Lucy Dacus, and who is part of the group vocals/scream on I Know The End. each of them has a song on their most recent album with vocals from the other two - Please Stay on Lucy's album Home Video (my personal favorite of the unofficial boygenius songs, it's so sad and gorgeous and you can hear phoebe and julien separately in each ear, julien on the left and phoebe on the right), and Favor on Julien's album Little Oblivions. Conor from Halloween is Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes and Phoebe's other band Better Oblivion Community Center. they also produced Christian Lee Hutson's second album together (Phoebe produced the first one). CLH is an amazing lyricist and also wrote a lot of the songs on Maya Hawke's new album
Yes I love all of these details and pheobe actually confirmed that julien was her girlfriend at the time not just a friend which I think makes graceland too even more special and beautiful
@@louise7542 she has not confirmed anything. but she opens up graceland too every live with "who here is gay? *audience roars* this song is for you", "this song is really gay" or "this is a love song/this is a song about loving someone". though, around this time julien started dating her bandmate mariah so i doubt she was ever in a relationship with phoebe, but there's no denying that graceland too is a love song about julien and that she adores her (called her "manic pixie girl of my dreams" once lmao)
When Miss Bonny expressed that Moon Song is her favourite song, I was overjoyed.... mine too! And I love how the music composition matches the "thickness' of the mood.. heavy bass and drum drops in some spots, and the scraping of fingers on the guitar strings. I feel it's perfect for the song. Fun video, Bonny and Emily! First time watching
She did an EP called Copycat Killer and it has orchestral versions of Kyoto, Savior Complex, Chinese Satellite, and Punisher that accompany her vocals and it’s so beautiful! Highly recommend giving that a listen for something a bit more stripped back!!
Chinese Satellite is a song that’s incredibly hard for me to be objective about because the lyrics slide right into such a personal experience for me that I can’t disentangle them from it. It was honestly so weird finding out that the song is more than likely only referencing her experience with religion because to me it’s a song about someone that you loved dying and the grief that not only are they gone but you also don’t believe in an afterlife so you don’t even have the comfort of seeing them again when you die. The beginning of the song to me is about how empty the depression makes you feel to the point you don’t even know how to be yourself anymore and you don’t even want to because who are you without that person? And then the first chorus of wanting to find hope and belief in something magical but still choosing to wish on something you know is fake and hollow just in case. Then the next verse indicating the person who’s now gone also not believing in an afterlife but then once they’re gone being willing to go against not only your belief but also theirs “if it meant [you] could see [them] when [you] die.” And then the second chorus touching on the uncomprehending situation of knowing you will never physically see them again but still having a muscle memory of them being around. And then even the last bit always felt to me like a representation of how depressed and wrong you feel after you lose someone, and the feeling like you don’t belong among people any more so she wants to be taken somewhere she will make sense as a person again, but also to a feeling of safeness, belonging, and rightness. Anyway sorry for the long comment but I’ve never been able to properly talk about this song with anyone and it fills me with so many emotions I always cry a little bit when I hear it 🥲
I absolutely love this deep dive. How you guys connected to the Punisher song felt personal cause I love that song sm too. thank u for being so attentive to the lyrics, cause phoebe is such a master at that.
The first time I heard punisher I had no idea what she was saying because like you said, her voice is lost in the production, but that’s why it grows on people. Because when you listen to it more and more, the vocals reveal themselves and like you can finally hear what she’s saying. It clicks into place. You can’t unhear it.
As one of my favourite albums, so glad that you guys loved this album and really appreciated your interpretations of the lyrics! There's something so refreshing about Phoebe's conversational style in her lyricism. Would love to see you guys react to Stranger in the Alps!!
I lost count of how many artists you guys introduce me, and how I ended up loving them in 95% of the time (since you guys taste is very similar to mine)! so I'm gonna hear this album rn and comeback in two hours to hear your comments on it ❤️
I always thought that the dog line in moon song was connected to the first mention. Typically when a dog or cat brings someone a bird or something they have caught it's a sign of love for the person they are giving it to, as it is a prize to them and they want to give it to the person they care about. I see this as Phoebe being the dog and the bird being her love for this person, and the person doesn't know what to do with all of her love for them.
The way Moon Song has always read to me is that she so desperately wants to love the person but the person isn’t in a position (emotionally, mentally, physically) to receive that love from her or love her back. It is my favorite song and makes me cry every time. Amazing breakdowns, I love this album so much.
I just listened to this album for the first time and never listened to anything by Phoebe before so it has been an EXPERIENCE. I started watching reaction videos to get a deeper understanding of the lyrics and I love how you guys read the lyrics and really try to get to the bottom of it! About the song Punisher and why it’s the album title, I thought about something: I think the concept of being a “Punisher” meaning a stan of an artist who never stops talking about them is a metaphor in the larger sense for the album, with her feeling like a different type of punisher in her relationships, someone who talks to much about the past relationships of the partners for an example in the song Halloween or even someone who loves too much too fast and it’s not reciprocated like in the dog bringing a dead bird metaphor someone talked about here in the comment section. It’s like she feels like she’s too much for everyone just like the hardcore fans… PS: I’m a new fan so I apologize if that was an obvious input that a lot of people usually picks up from the album, I thought of sharing cuz I didn’t read anything like it in the other comments.
so so excited to see you react to phoebe! another of my absolute favourites is lizzy mcalpine who I think you’d really love - especially her new album, five seconds flat❤
idk if you noticed but the end of I Know The End is the same sound aa DVD Menu, and that is because Phoebe herself wanted the listener to feel like they could put this album on loop infinitely!!!! So awesome, loved your reaction and hope you react to her other album Stranger In The Alps and the EP (Boygenius) she made with Julien Barker and Lucy Dacus, who also sang back vocals in Graceland Too ❤️❤️
i know this is late, but graceland too is about phoebe's boygenius bandmate, julien baker. julien actually sings harmony on the song, and so does lucy dacus, the other member of boygenius! it's a very hard song to listen to for me because the lyrics in the second verse imply that maybe this person isn't actually healthy yet, and phoebe is begging for some good news, trying to manifest it in a way -- "wonders if he believed songs could come true / i'm asking for it if they do." there's an undertone of sadness there, that maybe phoebe is begging for this person to no longer be a danger to herself or others, for phoebe to be able to support her in a way that makes all the pain worth it. phoebe wants HER song to come true. devastating song, and my favorite of phoebe's entire discography
omg if you really like phoebe bridgers you should absolutely react to her debut album stranger in the alps, it's a completely different sound to punisher, but the album is SO good, and it absolutely _destroys_ me, like the entire album is so sad, but I adore it I just. I love phoebe bridgers so much and she's probably my favorite artist right now and just. all of her music and production and lyricism is literally so incredible and I've never heard a song by her that I don't like
also an addition, I noticed you talked abt wanting a more stripped back album focusing on her voice more than the production, and that's absolutely what stranger in the alps is. it does have its own production ofc but,, I do think her voice stands out more in this one, and she also just puts more power in her voice in that era and she's a bit less soft and breathy, especially in live performances from the time of that album
I always felt like the "wanted to see thw world through your eyes then it happened and I changed my mind" could mean that she tried to do things and experience things that he experienced to try to understand his point of view and then she did and now she regrets having those experiences So that's where the end of the song ties in-I'm a liar who lies who lies etc She doesn't actually want to see things from his perspective anymore because it makes her uncomfortable to put herself in his shoes
Yayyy, I’m soo happy you reacted to Phoebe!! You should try Lizzy McAlpine next!! Her pen game is literally criminalll and is almost similar to phoebe as well:))
